Authorities arrested an 18-year-old man on Tuesday night in Temecula, California, for allegedly cutting down a Flock Safety camera and attempting to load it into a vehicle. The suspect, identified as Andrew Anderson, was booked on suspicion of grand theft and felony vandalism.
A witness alerted deputies to the incident, providing them with the vehicle's license plate number. Officers tracked the vehicle to Anderson's residence, where he was apprehended. The damaged camera was recovered and is expected to be returned to Flock Safety.
This incident follows another recent arrest in Riverside County involving alleged vandalism of Flock Safety cameras. Days prior, Nathan Ceballos, 31, of Palm Desert, was accused of confronting a Flock Safety contractor who was replacing a previously vandalized automated license plate reader. The contractor reported that Ceballos threatened him with a stabbing, slashed the tires of his utility vehicle, and damaged the replacement camera.
Investigators later found evidence at Ceballos's home related to the alleged assault, additional camera vandalism, and numerous sexually intrusive videos of teenage girls recorded in public and private spaces. The investigation into identifying the victims in these videos is ongoing. Ceballos was arrested and remains jailed on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, and multiple counts of felony vandalism.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Office has warned that tampering with or destroying Flock cameras can result in felony charges. The Sheriff's office stated that "vandalizing or damaging Flock cameras is a serious crime and will be aggressively investigated. Those who intentionally damage, destroy, or tamper with Flock cameras will face felony charges and arrest."
Flock Safety cameras, which can be mounted on vehicles or poles, photograph license plates and record their location, date, and time. The technology has faced scrutiny in Southern California, including an incident in Ventura County where Flock inadvertently shared county data with out-of-state law enforcement agencies.